Box-fastener



(No Model.)

W. JONES. Box Fastener.

1 No. 233,252. Patented Oct. 12,1880.

I l a i I922. J; i Q

65 WNW UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JONES, OF KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN.

BOX-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 233,252, dated October 12, 1880. Application filed August 25, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kalamazoo, in the county of Kalamazoo and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fastenin gs for Boxes, used as well for the transportation of prohibited mail and other matter as for divers and sundry other purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the box with the lid or cover closed, and Fig.2 a similar view of the same with the lid raised. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the free end of one of the elastic straps employed for holding the cover closed.

My invention relates to an improved box which is useful for various purposes, but is particularly intended for shipping fourth-class mail-matter. The feature of special novelty is the means of fastening the hinged cover.

In the drawings, B indicates the body of a rectangular oblong wooden box, having a lid or cover, F, hinged at one side, so as to have no lateral movement. Elastic strapsD D are attached to the front side of the box, and have metallic heads a, of dovetail shape, secured to their free ends. Dovetail mortises e e are formed in the upper side of the cover F, at the front edge thereof, for the purpose of receiving said heads a. When the latter are placed in the mortises c the elasticity of the straps D will draw the heads a forward until they become so firmly wedged in place that the cover F may be raised, as shown in Fig. 2, without causingtheir detachment, and when the cover is lowered it will be held closed, as shown in Fig. 1. Yet the heads a may be readily detached when required by raising them out of the mortises, which will allow the cover F to be thrown back to allow articles to be more conveniently placed in or removed from the box.

The box B, being constructed of thin wood, is as light and cheap as practicable consistent with the requisite strength. The fastening holds the lid securely closed, and yet it may be easily and quickly detached, and will also allow convenient inspection of the contents of the box without detachment.

The invention thus possesses in a pre-eminent degree those qualities deemed essential in mail-shipping boxes of this class.

What I claim is not, broadly, a mail-shipping box having a lid or cover provided with elastic fastenings; but

I claim- The improved fastening for a mail-shippin g box, the same consisting of the elastic straps D D, attached to the side of the box, and provided with the rigid dovetail heads, which are adapted to enter correspondingly-shaped mortises in the cover of the box, as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM JONES. Witnesses:

ROBERT BURNS, J. M. SWETLAND. 

